


Once a Princess

by Merewenna



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Balance in the Force (Star Wars), Darth Vader Needs a Hug, Darth Vader Redemption, Family, Force-Sensitive Leia Organa, Gen, Leia's childhood, Not Beta Read, Parent Darth Vader, Prequel to unfinished fanfic, Skywalkers are Force beings, The Force Is Weird (Star Wars)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 04:13:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29819238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merewenna/pseuds/Merewenna
Summary: Where Anakin's parents are not as absent as they are in another world and Leia gets a somewhat different childhood than elsewhere.Seriously AU.
Relationships: Leia Organa & Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Saida Organa (Original Character), Leia Organa & Shmi Skywalker
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU story I started back in 2015 or 2016. I will not write any more, I'm afraid I lost interest in this specific AU years ago. I'll post a few short chapters which is everything that will make sense without the further plot, you could treat it as a prologue to a never written AU of the OT.

“She must be hidden away from the Emperor and his new Apprentice,” Yoda said, speaking only of the girl. It was already arranged that the boy would be taken to his relatives on Tatooine and it was best if as few people as possible knew about his existence. He had a feeling that Luke’s influence would eventually mean more than the girl’s.

“I’ll take her,” Bail offered. He and Breha had already adopted a child, Saida, who was now two years old, but Breha wanted another daughter.

“Senator Amidala named her Leia, but I believe it would be best if she were renamed,” Yoda added. “Vader might know what the Senator wanted to name her daughter.”

And so, Leia Skywalker became Padmé Organa.

***

She screamed as she felt her father’s great pain and suffering. She wanted to make it better, but she didn’t know how, she could only share it. She tried to make him listen to her, to comfort him, but he was unreachable beyond his thick, newly erected dark shields. He would not hear her cries.

***

She cried long and loud, trying to make her mother come back. She missed her warmth and gentle voice. She could always sense her love, but now there was nothing. There never was any response, only the two strangers who tried to calm her.

***

She tried to find her other half, but he was far away and she couldn’t reach him. She’d always been with him, but now he was gone and she didn’t know where he was and she wanted him back so badly. Someone was hiding him from her.

***

Breha was on the verge of breaking down. She had now two children on her head – the two year old Saida, Sabé’s daughter, and newborn Padmé, Amidala’s child.

The two girls, though looked just as alike as the once Queen and Handmaiden, behaved completely differently. Saida was calm and quiet, but Padmé hardly ever stopped crying – only when being fed (and gods knew she ate far too little), or when so exhausted that she fell asleep or simply ran out of breath in her lungs.

The Queen of Alderaan seemed to have a persistent headache from trying to calm her younger adopted daughter, but nothing she tried ever worked. She had decided not to pawn her daughters off to nannies as most monarchs would, but now she paying for it.

Finally, when she was at the edge of her resilience after three days of constant crying, the girl just suddenly calmed down. And never cried again.

***

“Leia,” the soft voice sounded a bit like her mother. She was kind and loved her. “Leia, sweetheart, stop crying.” She was soothing. And she used her real name. “I know you’re frightened and alone. I know you miss your parents and brother. But you’ll meet them again. They’ll be alright. They’ll come back to you. Good girl. Listen to me. Listen to my voice. I love you child. I love you, my Granddaughter,” the voice whispered and faded away, leaving the tiny girl at peace.

***

Shemidara stood next to the crib, watching the little Princess sleeping. Saida, her adopted sister, kneeled on a chair and leaned over, staring at the baby, still in awe. Shemidara smiled. She knew the two girls would be close friends in the future.

The ancient Force being started humming a lullaby she remembered from her life as Shmi Skywalker. One of the songs she sung to her little Ani.

It seems like it was ages ago, not barely twenty years since she gave birth to her son. It hurt so much when he left, it hurt even more after she died when she watched him suffering, first from grief, and then from fear for Padmé’s life. And then he became Darth Vader, slave to Darth Sidious. He willingly became enslaved again. But she, his mother, would not let him remain fully in the Darkness for long.

He couldn’t see her when she tried to talk to him, but he could feel her calming presence – he didn’t recognise her as his mother, but he did realise it was the Light Side, and that made him think. He didn’t feel the pain and grief when she was near. He started wondering, whether or not the Dark Side was the right way to deal with his problems.

She as aware he would never be able to fully return to the Light and abandon the Dark, now that he learnt it, but that was the plan. For Anakin to embrace both Light and Dark, as was right for the Son of Life and Death.

She smiled when she noticed the older girl slowly nodding off as the lullaby’s calming melody reached her through the Force. Manipulating the sleepy girl’s position, she lay her down against the crib, making sure she wouldn’t fall off.

Shemidara knew Breha would come back soon to check on her daughters, but for now, she decided to stay and watch over the two sleeping sisters.


	2. Children of the Force

Bail observed his two daughters playing.

Saida had been fascinated at the concept of having a little sister to play with in the future.

“What’s her name, Daddy?” the Princess had asked.

“Padmé.”

“Padmé. Like your friend?” The girl, despite her very young age had always had an amazing ability of making connections of names, people and events.

“Yes. Like my friend.”

Now, two years later, the Royal sisters sat together on a blanket in the garden and Saida was trying to teach Padmé how to dress dolls. Padmé, on the other hand, seemed content holding the dolls and moving them around as if they were star fighters. She was even managing to make sounds resembling those of a space battle. Saida realised what her sister was doing and laughed.

“They’re not ships, May, they’re dolls! You’re not supposed to make them fly,” she scolded.

“Fly! Fly!” the younger girl exclaimed happily and threw the doll. To Bail’s astonishment and horror, the toy did not fall to the ground, instead, it hovered in the air and then started floating towards the older sister. The Viceroy rushed to the girls and plucked the doll-turned-space-fighter out of the air.

“Padmé, you’re not allowed to do that!” he shouted. He was afraid, and it made him sound angry. Saida started crying, but Padmé just stared at him with her big brown eyes and said nothing. She did not cry. She never did.

And she never made another thing float again.

***

“Every living thing is connected to others through the Living Force. No being is ever truly alone. Even in outer space, I stretch out my tendrils and make sure no one is ever abandoned. Sometimes it’s hard, but to stop existing would go against my very nature.”

Leia sat quietly beneath the tree, looking at the blue figure standing before her. Her grandmother, Life.

“I am the way creatures interact with each other. I am how children are born. I am how people pass away.”

“But Grandma, isn’t Granddad Death?”

“He is, but when somebody dies, their soul goes to him, but their life force remains with me. I use that life force to support other beings. Remember that little hedgehog you found last month?”

“Yes, it died, even though I tried to heal him and even Uncle and Auntie tried to help.”

“It died. What did you with him then?”

“Auntie said Saida and I should bury him in the garden. Uncle helped us dig a hole.”

“Exactly. His body was buried. That was his life force. And do you know what happens when somebody is buried?”

“Saida says they’re eaten by worms,” Leia said, scrunching her nose.

“Leia, it’s not something gross. It’s a part of life. You see, it’s true, worms eat bodies. But the body was no longer needed. So the worm has food and won’t go hungry.”

“Who cares about worms?” Leia exclaimed.

“I do,” Life said softly, gently rebuking the girl.

“Sorry, Grandma,” the child looked regretful enough.

“Do you know who else cares about worms?” the Force-being asked.

“No.”

“Then think. Close your eyes. Stretch out with your feelings. What can you Feel?”

Life observed her granddaughter as she slipped into meditation. She was growing older and stronger. She grew wiser, too. She would one day be a powerful being, like her father. It was a shame Luke didn’t notice her when she tried to reach him. There seemed to be something on Tatooine that blocked her access, similar to how it happened with Death when she was still Shmi.

The young Princess sat, breathing softly, reaching out with her feelings, touching other living creatures with curiosity. She felt the entire ecosystem of the garden. Life knew that if she told the girl to concentrate more and reach out further, even now, at the age of three, she would be able to feel the entire city. Give it a year or so and sensing the entire planet wouldn’t give her much trouble, though it might be confusing for a being not purely of the Force.

_So? Can you tell me who else cares about the worms?_ Life asked softly, speaking directly into her grandchild’s mind.

_Yes. The birds. Other worms. And the hedgehogs themselves_ , Leia said, slightly ashamed that she needed to meditate to find the answer when it was so simple.

“Don’t ever be ashamed of needing to Feel to understand something. You are not all knowing, Leia. You need support, my Granddaughter. Everybody needs.”

“Even you?” the girl asked, looking up at her grandmother’s projection.

“Yes. I need your Grandfather’s help when I need to work on something connected to Unifying.

“Does he need your help as well?” Leia asked curiously.

“He does. He doesn’t always understand how important Living is.”

“Okay. Thank you, Grandma.”

“I think that’s enough of theory for today. Now we’ll work on your control,” Life smirked when Leia groaned slightly.

***

He walked in the palace garden, wondering. He knew soon he’d have to go back to terrorising everybody. But for now he could be peaceful, he could let his mind wander, connecting with the Living Force that surrounded him.

Suddenly, it was as if a bright, strong mind touched his own. It retreated after a moment, but it left him anxious to know who it was.

He followed the tendrils of the Force that stretched before him and they led him to a small clearing with a huge tree at the far end. There, a child knelt in the grass, her eyes closed and her face peaceful.

He realised that it was the younger Princess of Alderaan, the one who was not introduced, but who seemed far more mature than her older sister. That explained it. She was strongly Fore-sensitive, and obviously she was being trained as he could tell from her meditating.

“What are you doing?” he asked, sure that’s she’d be at least flustered at being discovered, if not frightened. Surely they warned her not to use the Force while he was around and whoever trained her must have taught her how to shield herself. Why wasn’t she even trying, she must know that she touched him.

“Feeling.” Her reply was mysterious, but she was sure of what she was saying. Feeling? Was that what she called meditating? Then again, feeling was exactly what one did when meditating, part of him mused.

“What are you feeling?”

“Life.” So the Force was life to her. Interesting. Who had trained her? Not a Jedi, they insisted on calling everything by their proper names. But it also wasn’t any of the Dark Siders, as he could sense that her powerful signature was untainted by the Dark Side.

“What do you feel?” He decided to test her to see if she really knew what she was doing.

“There are three nests in the tree. There’s an anthill in the hedge over there. There’s a mole digging beneath our feet. I feel you. I know you.”

“You mean you know who I am? Aren’t you afraid?” he asked, correcting her.

“No. I said I know you.”

She finally opened her eyes and looked straight into his mask, fearless. They were the same colour Padmé’s were. ‘Stop it,’ he thought. ‘She’s Breha’s daughter, not Padmé’s.’

But it didn’t stop the flashbacks.

“ _Ani, I’m pregnant.”_

“ _That’s the best day of my entire life!”_

_He touched Padmé’s swollen belly gently, softly, not wanting to hurt his child. He felt soft tendrils reaching out to him, wanting to connect, but they were still too weak._

“ _Anakin, you’re breaking my heart!”_

_Padmé lay with a child in her arms. “There’s still good in him.”_

“Who are you?” The last flashback was not his memory.

“They call me Princess Padmé. But I know it’s not my name. My name is Leia, but they forbid me using it.”

“Leia?” he breathed, the word barely audible despite his voice synthesiser.

He felt her acknowledgement through the Force. It was her true name, even though no one called her by it.

“Why do they call you Padmé?”

“They say she was Uncle Bail’s friend and they named me after her, but I know otherwise...Padmé was my mother.”

“Padmé...mother... Do you know who I am?”

She flashed him a smile before going serious again.

“I said I know you. You’re my father, aren’t you,” she said, suddenly sad.

“Yes. I am you father.”

“I recognised you. But you’ve changed.”

“Yes, I’ve changed.” He was sure she could sense his sorrow. “But I won’t hurt you. I’ll keep you safe from harm.”

“I know. Mummy was right.”

“Right?”

“She said there was still good in you before she died.”

“So it was your memories?”

“Yes,” she smiled slightly.

“You remember things so long ago?”

“Yes, I do. I’m strange, I know. I sometimes behave like I’m much older. I speak of things I shouldn’t know. I know things other people never will. Things no one knows. I can do things no one can.”

***

It was a few months later when he could come to Alderaan again. After discovering his daughter was alive, he spent the next month secretly searching for any sign of Padmé, but even questioning her relatives on Naboo did not bring any results other than the conclusion that his wife had indeed died in childbirth.

His only comfort was that at least he didn’t kill her directly.

Still, he was glad to have a daughter, even if he couldn’t actually raise her. And he was overjoyed that she wanted to have him in her life, as secret as he would have to remain. He still smiled under his mask thinking of her face when she told him it would be their secret.

He was shocked when what he believed to be his mother’s Force-ghost appeared and Leia called her ‘Grandma’. Even more so when his mother explained who she actually was and then comforted him when he started breaking down. At least they were in a secluded part of the garden, or so his daughter told him.

And then his father had appeared. He actually had a father. True, he’d never been corporeal. True, he was the personification of the Dark Side. But he was still his father. And that might actually explain his Dark tendencies.

After the inspections, where he actually did find several irregularities that could indicate rebellious activities which he promptly ignored, he managed to get away again to meet his daughter in the gardens.

Leia was waiting for him, as excited as only a four-and-a-half year old could be. The moment she saw him, she rushed up to him and jumped into his arms, not minding the hard chest plate nor his artificial limbs. She was content to be with her father whatever form he was in.

Again, he felt the pang of pain that he’d never be whole again, he’d never see his daughter with his own eyes, only able to rely on the wretched mask and life suit.

_Do not think all is lost, my son_ , he heard his mother’s voice speaking directly into his mind.

_What do you mean?_ he responded likewise.

_I know you wish to be healed_ , she said again.

_And I know it’s impossible. I must live with the consequences of my actions_ , he replied.

_I am_ Life _, Anakin_ , her voice sounded like a rolling thunder. _Nothing is impossible for me._

_You mean I could be..._ His voice, even though not spoken out loud, hang up.

_You could be whole again_ , his mother’s voice, once more soft, responded.

_Sidious...Sidious would sense it, he’d find out I betrayed him. He told me specifically not seek any treatment. I am not ready to face him._

_And is betrayal not the way of the Sith?_ Suddenly his father’s voice entered the conversation. He could sense that the Force being was smirking. On a side thought, Anakin still felt strange calling someone father. _I can shield you from him, my son, I will cloud his vision so he will not recognise your betrayal._

_I’ll still need to keep the suit and mask for public and for Sidious._

_I’m sure you’ll be able to alter it yourself as is necessary_ , Life said.

_I’ll need to work on it before you try to heal me. Otherwise I won’t be able to show myself anywhere._ Anakin mused. _Are you sure you’ll be able to hide it from Sidious?_ he asked his father.

_Yes. After all, it was me who hid him from the Jedi during the Clone Wars._

_Oh._ Anakin’s mood visibly soured. He did not like the idea that his father was actually responsible for all of that.

_Don’t blame me_ , said Life. _I argued against that._

_Yes_ , Death drawled. _I seem to recall a great big row that we had after you came back to me._

_I lost. He insisted I couldn’t see the bigger picture._

_And you still can’t, my dearest. That’s my job. The moment you start seeing the big picture, I’ll start understanding why you love flowers and trees and animals and other creepy crawlies._

_Your Dad doesn’t like spiders, Ani_ , Life said in a confidential tone of voice.

Anakin couldn’t stop his chuckle.

“Are you alright, Daddy?” Leia asked, slightly worried at the choking sound coming from her father’s vocaliser, even though she could sense he was happy.

“Yes, I’m alright, my little Princess. I’m just catching up with my parents,” he replied. It felt so good to be able to call someone his parents.

“What did they tell you? And why didn’t they talk to me too?”

“Mum just said Dad doesn’t like spiders.” Leia giggled at that. “And we were discussing grownup matters,” Anakin added. “Now, how about you tell me what you were up to since we last saw each other?”

He was hardly concentrating on her chatter, instead drinking up her joyful emotions and happy expression as she referred her exploits of the past months to her father.

Finally, it seemed she had no more to say.

“Can you tell me a story from your childhood?” she asked shyly, leaning back against his shoulder, making herself comfortable in his lap.

“Hmm, let me think,” he wondered, his memories taking him to the deep past of his childhood on Tatooine. “Mum and I lived on the desert planet of Tatooine in a town called Mos Espa...” he carried on, deliberately not mentioning they had been slaves. There would be time later for her to learn it. For now, she was too young.

His very presence seemed to sooth her and soon he found her drifting off to sleep. He realised dusk was falling and he didn’t want to wake her as it was probably already her bedtime. He couldn’t simply leave her here as nobody would find her and she wouldn’t wake up on her own.

He shrugged mentally, gathering her up in his arms, cushioning her with the Force against his hard durasteel limbs. He quickly made his way towards the palace, masking his presence with the Force from any passer-bys, and the guards, of course.

Soon, he reached the main hall of the palace and stretched out his senses in an attempt to find his daughter’s foster parents. After locating the Viceroy, he moved down the hall to the throne room.

***

Bail and Breha were worried. They couldn’t find Padmé anywhere even though it was her bedtime. They already had half the palace staff looking for the missing Princess, but it seemed that no one had seen her since the midday meal.

On top of that, Lord Vader had also disappeared after his morning session of questioning of everybody and everything. Breha was frantic that the two disappearances might have something to do with each other. Bail was outwardly calm, but really he was just as frightened as his wife.

And then Lord Vader came into the throne room. He was, indeed, carrying the younger Princess in his arms. Her head fell limply against his shoulder.

Bail rose, his face white as a sheet.

“I found her sleeping in the garden. I thought no one would be able to find her where she was hiding and I didn’t want to wake her up,” he said. The sound of Vader’s voice startled the Viceroy, it was much softer than usual. Bail wasn’t even aware it was possible.

“Thank you, my Lord. We worried for her,” he responded when he found his own voice.

Vader said nothing, instead coming closer and lowering his arms slightly so Bail could take the child.

“I bid you good night,” the Sith then said, turning around and leaving the room.

***

Later that night, as they were lying in bed, Breha asked her husband, “Do you think he knows?”

“No. If he did, we would be dead.”

Breha shuddered and Bail put his arms around her to comfort her.

“What are we doing wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll ever know. Maybe it’s the influence of her Force powers.”

“I do wish she were more like Saida. Padmé’s too mature for her age.”


	3. Education

Saida and Padmé’s new maths tutor stared in astonishment when the younger girl started quietly explaining some task to her older sister. At five and seven, they were given different exercises and worked on different material. Padmé however, finished hers much sooner than Saida, and while the tutor was still explaining Saida’s class, she listened in and understood.

Now, when they were given quiet time to work on their problems alone, Saida was visibly struggling, but Padmé had long since finished her tasks and now moved towards her sister to help her.

He heard the whispered instructions, but Padmé wasn’t simply giving Saida the answers, she was actually explaining how to do solve the problems. And as he listened, he realised the older Princess actually was beginning to understand the material, something that he hadn’t been able to explain clearly.

It seemed he would have to work on the programme for the Princesses, but first, he’d have to find out how much Padmé actually could do.

***

Leia was sprawled across the couch in her family’s sitting room. It was one of the few places where they could be just that – a family. And one of the few places where she could not pretend to be Padmé Organa – that is, as long as she was alone.

She was holding a datapad with access to the entire Royal Library. She was currently reading up on the political relationships of Alderaan and Naboo in the past thousand years.

She was glad to have reached this volume, as she had always been fascinated with her mother’s planet, even though she only ever saw it on holos in the books that she read.

Breha entered the room.

“What are you reading, Padmé?”

“ _Political Relationship of Alderaan and Naboo_. It’s a detailed history of our dealings during the time of the Republic.”

“Naboo? Why would you be reading about that small planet? They don’t mean a lot in the Empire,” Breha said. Leia sensed she was on her guard.

“But they used to. The Emperor’s from Naboo. And besides, I’ve already read Coruscant, apologies, Imperial Centre, Corellia, Chandrila and a few others. I decided it was time for Naboo. Last month I was reading about planetary cultures and when I got to Naboo, I found it quite enticing.”

“But aren’t you a little young to read such books anyway? You’re only seven.”

“I want to know as much about politics as I can. I don’t care that Saida’s still into reading silly little books about ponies and doggies and kitties,” she said with a huff.

“Very well, Padmé, carry on,” Breha said, picking up a pile of datapads she’d been working on the previous night and exiting the room.

Leia rolled her eyes and turned back to her datapad. She was just reaching the period when her mother, Padmé, would be made Queen of Naboo and later Senator.

***

Leia skipped through the gardens, pretending to be the careless almost nine year old that she wasn’t. She was heading to her favourite spot, a small shady hideout between tall, thick hedges where she could be herself and not Princess Padmé. The place where her grandparents trained her. It was the perfect spot as she could sense people from far away if somebody came looking for her. Then she could lead them on a merry hunt through the gardens.

She slowed down as she reached the rarely visited part of the gardens. She transformed into the young, confident and mature Force-user that she was when not seen by others.

As she rounded the turn to her secret spot, she stopped in her tracks, seeing a dark, hooded figure standing menacingly in the centre of the clearing.

Her face lit up with a bright smile.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed and run towards him.

Anakin went down on one knee.

“Happy Lifeday, Leia,” he said when she hugged him. He put his arms around her, holding her close and inhaling the smell of her hair.

“But it’s not until tomorrow,” she laughed.

“I know, sweetie, but I’m afraid I could only spare one day,” he said sadly. “The Emperor wants me back on Coruscant tomorrow.”

“That’s alright,” Leia hid her disappointment well. She’d hoped she would be able to spend some more time with her father, but even several hours was better than nothing and she hadn’t seen him for five months, only able to contact him through her grandparents.

“I have a gift for you,” he said. “Close your eyes and give me your hand.”

She felt him putting something on her palm and then folding her fingers around it.

“Have a look,” he said with a smile.

She opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment, beaming with happiness. Then she opened her hand and saw the blue-green gem sitting in her palm.

Anakin had thought she was already smiling as much as she could, but he was wrong. Her face lit up even brighter and he could sense her immense joy radiating from her Force presence.

“Wow, it’s beautiful!” she exclaimed.

“It’s time for you to build a new lightsabre. You’ve grown out of your previous one.”

“Thank you, Daddy! It’s a great present!”

Anakin simply smiled at his daughter’s joy.

***

“Princess Padmé, your essay on the Clone Wars is unacceptable,” the positively ancient history teacher said, as she returned the datapad to the brown-haired girl. “For the writing itself, I have given you a good grade; however, your argumentation would be correct...if the facts you referred were true. As you remember, when we started this course, we agreed that I would allow you to use two versions of history in your research – the official Imperial version and the version the remaining loyal Republican historians present. Your essay does not take either as basis. It is purely a work of fiction, not of factual research. It seems you failed to do your assignment correctly. Again.”

Leia raised her hand slightly, asking for permission to speak.

“Yes, Princess?”

“If I may... The events I presented in my work were referred to me by Lord Vader in one of the discussions we had when he visited last month,” she said. “He is the second most powerful person in the Empire. He has access to unimaginable sources. What he told me disagrees both with the Imperial propaganda that the Jedi initiated the war bringing years of destruction to the galaxy, and with our Republican opinion that it was Count Dooku that set up the ground for the conflict along with the Separatist Confederation.

“Of course, the Emperor was supposedly attacked by the Jedi in an attempted assassination, so he would have reasons to slander them, insisting that the war was their fault.

“The Republic, on the other hand, did not want to let go of the Separatists who wished to break away. From all my research, everything indicates that the Confederation did have some good points – the Senate was dreadfully corrupt by the time of the Republic’s fall, as suggested by Queen Amidala of Naboo during the trade blockade of her planet, and even later when she became Senator and attempted to reason both with the Senate and the Chancellor – who, as we know, later became the Emperor – calling for a peaceful resolution of the conflict.

“I believe we are now idolising the Republic, forgetting all its faults and flaws. We forget that there was much that was wrong about the system. The Imperial Senate now is no more corrupt than the Republican one was.

“Lord Vader revealed to me that the entire war was planned in order to stage the coup that allowed the Chancellor Palpatine to become the Emperor and the Republic to become the Empire. What’s more, he stated that there was one person behind both factions, manipulating the entire galaxy as if he were playing chess. Using both black and white figures. The Sith was manipulating the galaxy since before the conflict of Naboo twenty five years ago.

“I do not see any reason why Lord Vader wouldn’t be telling me the truth. I would understand if he had stuck to the Imperial version of history, and I would not argue against him using our Republican version. But what he said disagreed with both these theories. Isn’t it plausible that his account is at least partly true? Should we not at least consider it in our lessons? When we look at events, it might shed some completely different light on the situations.”

“Princess Padmé, we have once discussed that oral accounts from only one witness cannot be considered a theory? Besides, this theory is not credible for another reason. Chronicles from a thousand years ago report that the Sith have been eliminated and are extinct; it is not possible that they would be taking over the galaxy if they have been dead for over a thousand years.”

“And yet there are rumours that Lord Vader is a Sith,” Leia argued.

“Rumours, Princess. They’re only rumours,” the professor disagreed.

“Rumours usually contain some grains of truth.”

“A grain to a Sith is a huge progression,” the woman said. “And in any case, I would strongly recommend you not to have any more discussions with Lord Vader. I am sure he has better things to do than arguing on politics and history with a twelve year old child.”

Leia’s lip tightened into a thin line. The professor was narrow-minded, as learned as she was, and simply refused to acknowledge anything beyond what she believed to be true. She was also adamantly stubborn in her opinions. But she had met her match in the famous Skywalker temper that Leia inherited from her father.

In addition, her remark about Leia being a child was not appreciated. The Princess knew she was much more mature than most adults she knew. She was well aware of what she could and could not do, even though her caretakers thought otherwise. By now she could easily win a debate against her father. Both of them, in fact. A few years more, and she might best the Emperor with words, at least.

Yes, she was well on her way to becoming a very powerful being in all ways possible.

***

“Padmé, where are we going?” Saida cried, trying to catch up with her running sister.

“To the stream at the border of the gardens, the one in the woods!” the younger Princess called.

“There’s a stream there?!” Saida’s surprise echoed along their Force bond.

“Of course! What would be palace gardens without a stream?” Leia laughed.

The two sisters slowed down as they entered the wood. The giant trees towered over the two teenagers and they were up to their waists in undergrowth.

“Are you sure we’re allowed to be here?” the older girl asked.

“No one ever told me not to, and it is within the palace grounds’ boundaries. And I’ve never met anything dangerous here.”

“Do you come here often?”

“Sometimes when I take a walk in the garden, I visit the stream. It’s peaceful. Good for meditating. Come on, this way! There’s a path somewhere on the right,” Leia trudged through the bushes taking the lead.

“I never knew this place was so huge!” Saida exclaimed after they’d been walking for some time.

“I know, right. I think I was about eight when I first came here. But it wasn’t until two years later that I reached the stream. Since then I visited here regularly,” she smiled. “Shh, can you hear it?” She motioned her sister to stop and listen. Saida’s eyes widened as the sound of the bubbling water reached her ears.

“Yes,” she smiled.

“Come on!”

A minute later, they reached the stream. It flowed on the rocky bed between the trees. Leia threw off her shoes and pulled up her dress. She stepped into the water, inviting her older sister to the same.

They waded for a while, until Saida claimed that just a few more minutes and her feet would fall off from the cold.

Once on the moss again, they sat facing each other.

“You brought me here for a purpose, haven’t you?” Saida asked.

“There’s a lot I need to tell you,” Leia responded solemnly.

“Don’t we talk all the time, Padmé?” Saida tried to laugh it away, sensing that whatever her sister was going to say would change her life.

“There are some things you don’t know about me,” Leia said. “Do you remember that one time when we were playing with dolls and I made one of them float in the air?”

“Vaguely. Dad got really angry, didn’t he?”

“No. He was scared. Because he realised I could use my powers.”

“Powers? What powers?”

“I am a so-called Force-sensitive.”

“Force-sensitive?”

“That means I have the potential to become a Jedi or a Sith. It also means that if I’m found out by the Emperor he will most likely kill me – unless he decides I can be his assassin. But seeing how I hate him, he’d fail in that.”

“So that’s why he told you to never do it again?”

“Yes. But there’s more. You’re slightly Force-sensitive yourself. Not nearly enough to be trained as a Jedi or a Sith, but I want to teach you how to build mind shields so you can protect your thoughts from people who are trained.”

“How do you know how to?” Saida stared at her with wide eyes.

“I cannot tell you now. I only told you as much as I did because I want to teach you to protect your mind.”

“So what do I have to do?”

“Close your eyes and hold my hands. I’ll guide you. First, stretch out with your feelings. Can you sense me? Not just feel my hands, but my entire being?”

“I think so. Aren’t I just imagining it?”

“No,” Leia said resolutely.

As the sisters submerged themselves in the Force, the forest around them hummed in harmony as Life watched her Granddaughter and her sister meditating together.

She smiled.

***

“She will one day be a great asset to our cause,” Mothma said, observing the younger Princess talking with one of the foreign ministers. She was obviously a great spokesperson and an enjoyable debate partner. It seemed the world of politics and diplomacy had no secrets before her.

“She does present a lot of hope for the future. She does say she wants to become a politician. I expect she will one day take my place in the Senate.”

“Why doesn’t Saida show as much promise?” Mothma asked.

Bail shrugged.

“Who knows? Padmé’s always been interested in history, culture and politics. She was six when she started reading books in these areas, but Saida only reads as much as she needs. Padmé once commented, when reading a political book, that Saida was still only interested in reading children’s books. Padmé was seven and Saida was nine. I honestly don’t know why Padmé seems to be more interested, because both girls were raised by us from a very young age and had the same teachers.” Mothma, as one of Bail’s close allies knew the girls were adopted, but Bail did not reveal their parents’ identities.

“They both seem to be very perceptive of other people’s intentions,” the red-haired Senator noticed.

“That is true, but Padmé’s more so. She’s more instinctive, but she can also explain herself, while Saida sometimes blunders. And then again, despite her strong perceptiveness, Padmé sometimes acts as stupid as a nerf. She...well, she “befriended” Darth Vader, if one can do so. Basically every time he comes to Aldera, she manages to catch him somewhere and starts a discussion with him. And I know it’s she who’s initiating contact,” Bail said, worried.

Mon raised her eyebrows.

“That’s quite...daft... for her. Didn’t you warn her?”

“We did. And her teachers keep doing so, every time she does an assignment wrong because of something he said.”

“She actually believes him?”

“That’s the problem. And what’s worse, he’s not at all opposed to her talking to him. It’s almost as if he enjoyed it himself.”

“Why would he enjoy talking to a child?”

“I hope I won’t learn the answer to that.”

“What about her beliefs? Do these discussions influence her loyalty to democracy?”

“As far as I can tell, she still hates the Empire. More worrisome is the fact that based on what she says, she wouldn’t support the Republic either. You’d almost think she’s a Separatist,” he said.

“Separatist! How did that happen? Even Vader was not a Separatist!”

“Books, probably. I’ve lost count of how many books she’s read. And she managed to block her library account years ago so no one has access to what she’s been reading. And so far, nobody’s been able to unblock it. Breha was desperate enough to actually ask Vader when he was visiting whether he’d encountered such a thing before. After having a look, he said that the only way to solve the problem would to do an overhaul of the entire system, but that would wipe out the archive catalogue – and even then, judging by the skills required to slice into the system to block access in the first place, the “little miscreant”, as he called her, would break it again within two weeks time. So he said not to bother and left, saying “good luck controlling the spitfire”. I’d swear he was laughing behind that mask of his.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's everything I've got for you. I wrote more in this AU, but most of it is incomprehensible due to a huuuuuge chunk of plot missing between the rest of Leia's childhood and her adulthood (like, ages 14-22). Anyway. Luke is absent in this part of the story, he sadly grows up oblivious of his relationship with the Force, but he is trained by Obi-Wan as a teenager and meets his unknown sister and father as an adult. There were also tons of other OCs and characters from what is now known as Legends meant to show up. 
> 
> So that's it. I might post snippets from my other AUs at some point, but I'll see, they might also be incomprehensible.

**Author's Note:**

> In this AU Shemidara is Shmi Skywalker's 'otherworldly' name - the name used for her as an immortal being/practically goddess of Life and Light. (If anyone's interested, I later changed it to Shmitri to fit in better with the entire conlang I started creating later on.)
> 
> I'll post another chapter later today or tomorrow!


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